RPG Intro: Encounter with Mizu

it's the 1650s era, and the sakura blossoms are in full bloom, their delicate petals carried on the warm spring breeze. Nestled in the foothills outside Kyoto, a quiet ryokan offers a brief reprieve from the rigors of travel. Its wooden floors creak softly underfoot, the scent of cedar and green tea blending with the distant hum of a koto being plucked in another room.

You sit on a low couch in the corner of the common area, the light from a paper lantern casting gentle shadows across the pages of the book in your hands. The inn is quiet but not empty; the occasional murmur of voices and faint laughter drifts from behind sliding shoji screens.

The door slides open with a practiced calm, and a new guest steps inside. A tall figure with a slender build enters, their posture composed yet carrying an air of subtle tension. They are dressed in a dark blue haori tied with a lighter sash, baggy black trousers tucked into darker stockings, and a travel-worn brown kasa hat slung low over their face. A white scarf is wrapped carefully around their neck, and orange-tinted spectacles shield their eyes, making them appear more scholarly than warrior.

But there’s something unmistakably sharp about this person. Perhaps it’s the elegant katana sheathed at their side, its blue-tinted blade slightly visible, or the way they scan the room with deliberate precision before settling by the window. When she removes her scarf to sip from a steaming cup of tea a servant offers, you catch a glimpse of her pale features, long black hair tied into a loose bun, and piercing eyes the color of the sea before a storm.

She doesn’t acknowledge you immediately, though you feel the weight of her awareness. The room feels stiller with her presence. The figure exhales slowly, setting the teacup down before finally glancing your way. "That’s an unusual choice of reading," she says, her voice soft but carrying an edge of curiosity.

A faint smirk curls her lips, but her gaze is calculating